2020 Aegean Sea earthquake
The 2020 Aegean Sea earthquake had a moment magnitude of 7.0 and occurred about 14 km (8.7 mi) northeast of the Greek island of Samos. Although Samos was closest to the epicentre, it was the Turkish city Izmir, 70 km (43 mi) northeast that was heavily affected-more than 700 residential and commercial structures were seriously damaged or destroyed. One hundred and seventeen people died in Izmir Province while an additional 1,034 were injured. In Greece, there were two fatalities and 19 injured. The earthquake is the deadliest in the year 2020, and the third major earthquake to strike Turkey that year. The event is called the Samos earthquake by the International Seismological Centre.
Lakhta Center construction started
The Lakhta Center is an 87-story skyscraper built in the northwestern neighbourhood of Lakhta in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Standing 462 metres (1,516 ft) tall, it is the tallest building in Russia, the tallest building in Europe, and the sixteenth-tallest building in the world. It is also the second-tallest structure in Russia and Europe, behind the Ostankino Tower in Moscow, in addition to being the second-tallest twisted building and the northernmost skyscraper in the world.
1983 Erzurum earthquake
The 1983 Erzurum earthquake occurred in northeastern Turkey. It had a moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Reuters reports that about 1340 people have died and 50 settlements in the provinces of Erzurum and Kars have been demolished by the earthquake.
Bosphorus Bridge opened
The Bosphorus Bridge, known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge and colloquially as the First Bridge, is the southernmost of the three suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, thus connecting Europe and Asia. It is a gravity-anchored suspension bridge with steel towers and inclined hangers. The aerodynamic deck hangs on steel cables. It is 1,560 m (5,118 ft) long with a deck width of 33.40 m (110 ft). The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft) and the total height of the towers is 165 m (541 ft). The clearance of the bridge from sea level is 64 m (210 ft).
Certej dam failure
The 1971 Certej dam failure caused a flood due to the failure of a tailings dam at the Certej mine which led to the death of 89 people. The flood completely destroyed six apartment buildings, a dormitory building and seven individual houses, resulting in 89 deaths and 76 people being wounded. A governmental commission made out of 16 experts was created to investigate the disaster. Following their investigation, they found that the tailings lost their stability due to the increase in height over the allowed limits. Also, a factor may have been the heterogenous content of the pond, as between 1936 and 1971, various materials were deposited, having different characteristics, leading to a fault slip.
